Your Logical Fallacy helps you win arguments and influence people

The Internet has spawned a lot of conversation, too much some would say. It’s also attracted unsavoury elements like trolls and bullies, as well as the most common type of online personality, the know-it-all. But often these so-called experts are less informed than you’d think, and in fact they only end up on top of conversations because they use commonly held debating tricks to confuse the unwary.

One of the most common of these tactics is to use logical fallacies, deliberate or erroneous methods of twisting discussions in order to win an argument, even if they’re wrong. Watch out for politicians and the media’s use of them as an example. Your Logical Fallacy Is, is a website devoted to outlining the most common of these errors, along with a detailed explanation and example of how they can be used.

The author’s have done this to help educate people about the process, and they’ve also gone further and produced a free downloadable PDF poster which anyone can use to learn about, or help others understand, the main examples. It’s a laudable project and something that could be very valuable in a classroom too.

Nigel is the managing editor of the Red Ferret, as well as a freelance columnist for the Sunday Times newspaper in London. Loves tech and fancies himself as a bit of a futurist, but then don’t we all?